Rafael Nadal hugs the trophy after winning the U.S. Open Monday.

Written by

Nicole Auerbach
| USA TODAY Sports

Deep into the third set of Monday's U.S. Open men's final, a heavy Novak Djokovic forehand pushed Nadal back behind the baseline, where he tripped over his own feet and tumbled to the ground, seemingly in slow motion.

In that instant, the fall seemed symbolic, a turning point. Nadal promptly faced triple-break point and the prospect of Djokovic taking a 2-sets-to-1 lead. Point by point, Nadal dug himself out of the hole. An ace - his only one in the match - got the game to deuce. Four points later, he had a most improbable hold. Six ...